White House lawyers Patrick Philbin, Jay Sekulow, and Pat Cipollone wrapped up the president's defense this afternoon on Capitol Hill, arguing that President Donald Trump's actions were not enough to trigger impeachment, even if proven true.
Philbin, who opened up today's session, echoed other defense lawyers who have described the Democrats as trying to read the president's mind to assume malintent. He also accused Democrats of treating a disagreement between the president and officials as an impeachable offense.
The president's legal team has argued that a quid pro quo on foreign aid to investigate a political rival is not impeachable. Philbin and Jay Sekulow, who spoke second, seemed wholly in sync with attorney Alan Dershowitz's argument last night that the articles, as written, are not enough to remove the president.
"To have a removal of a president based on a policy dispute? That's not what the framers intended," Sekulow said. He continued to warn Senators of the "danger, danger, danger" of lowering the bar of impeachment.
He also mentioned Bolton for only the second time, echoing Dershowitz's argument that even if reports that Bolton can link the president to quid pro quo are true, it doesn't prove anything.
Tensions are rising over whether the Senate should hear the testimony of Bolton, who reportedly wrote in a manuscript that Trump directly tied the holdup of nearly $400 million in military assistance to Ukraine to investigations into the Bidens.
GOP Senators are expected to meet after today's conclusion, as reports of more Republican defections in favor of witness testimony circulate.
When Sekulow took a swipe at Democrats, implying some of them would rather be out campaigning just days before the Iowa caucus, Senator and 2020 presidential hopeful Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota merely looked annoyed.
In a moment of levity, Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah), who says he would like to hear from ex-National Security Advisor John Bolton, brought a bottle of chocolate milk into today's session (as milk and water are the only drinks allowed in Senate during the impeachment trial). Romney appeared to be chided by an aide, left, and then came back in with the chocolate milk poured into a glass.
Republican lawyers wrapped up their final day of defense in the early afternoon, leaving senators with a long afternoon off before the trial resumes Wednesday with 16 hours of contentious questioning expected, including the key debate on witness testimony. Senators Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and Elizbeth Warren of Massachusetts left the building quickly and reportedly plan to campaign this afternoon.
Alex Ward, National Security Reporter at Politico, joined Wake Up With Cheddar to discuss the latest in a looming international threat as Russia continues aggression against Ukraine, in defiance of Western nations.
The recent Virginia and New Jersey elections are making one trend line pretty clear: voters in this climate will vote on education, and it could be a winning tactic for Republicans.
Virginia's race for governor was defined by, as the Republican candidate and eventual winner described it, "school-choice." Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is taking a page out of Governor Youngkin's playbook for his upcoming reelection bid, over-indexing on themes of education. John Kennedy, Florida capital reporter at Gannett, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
North Korea launched its sixth missile test this month, equaling the total number performed in all of 2021. Cheddar News speaks with Bruce Klinger of the Heritage Foundation on why the regime is suddenly ramping up its weapons testing program.
More than 80 lawmakers are calling for President Biden to release a memo outlining the legal pros and cons regarding the president's authority to cancel student loan debt, the total of which sits around $1.75 trillion. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.), joined Cheddar to discuss the memo and support the push to forgive student debt that could potentially have a massive positive impact on the U.S. economy. "I think that would be really helpful for all of us to be able to see as we figure out how we can go forward," she said. "It seems like a simple thing to do, and I hope that the administration will release this memo." For her part, Sen. Smith said she believes the president does have the authority to abolish student loan debt.
Dr. Celeste González de Bustamante, professor and director of the Center for Border and Global Journalism at the Univerity of Arizona, and Dr. Jeannine E. Relly, professor and director of Global Initiatives at the Center for Border and Global Journalism at the University of Arizona, join Cheddar News to discuss the recent journalist killings in Mexico.
Joe Kennedy III, a former congressman and co-founder of Give Us the Ballot, joined Cheddar News to discuss voting protections in the United States and how his campaign is aiming to fix the issue of voter suppression. "Yes, redistricting is critical — Give Us the Ballot though recognizes it's 'redistricting, and —', because voting rights has an implication for every single election at every single level: school board, mayor, city council, House of Representatives, Senate, president," he said. Kennedy also gave his thoughts about the retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer.
